


chasing trails

by HeavenlyDusk



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Adult Arcobaleno (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Alternate Universe, Family, Fluff and Angst, M/M, POV Alternating, Sawada Iemitsu's A+ Parenting, Sawada Nana's A+ Parenting, Shenanigans, Slice of Life, no i have no idea where this fic is going but what else is new
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2020-07-30 05:40:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20092165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeavenlyDusk/pseuds/HeavenlyDusk
Summary: Nana dies and Iemitsu doesn't come home. Tsuna's godfather steps up to the plate.





	1. divergent point

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuna and Reborn get used to each other. Reborn realizes that he has his work cut out for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you follow me for ORV/TCF fics (specifically ORV), I am so sorry but I have pretty much nothing written for Sunfish Week so this is what I do instead.  
If you follow me for KHR, I've finally returned to write something for this fandom! I totally forgot I had this fic written!  
If you don't follow me at all and just found this fic out of nowhere, welcome and I hope this is to your liking!
> 
> Enjoy!

On the day Reborn meets his godson, Tsuna is ten years old, small, and he asks in a bland voice, “Are you from the mafia?”

* * *

Tsuna is not a smart child, at seven years old—academically speaking. He can’t grasp concepts easily in the classroom and social values are something he only picks up on very slowly. He’s clumsy to a fault and the only physical activity he can manage is running from playground bullies. He’s not the kind of child that most people would be proud of.

But he’s not and has never been an _idiot_, and his stupid dad is lucky that his wife is so oblivious. Tsuna isn’t. Maybe it’s due in part to that weird feeling that tells him when things are wrong, but he knows that Iemitsu is lying whenever he leaves and says something about his job and he knows that he isn’t as harmless as he tries to present himself as.

So one day Tsuna goes snooping while his dad is in town and on a date with Nana.

He doesn’t know what mafia or Vongola means, but a quick search online gives him answers and, well.

That’s that.

* * *

Reborn figures out a few things about taking care of Tsuna very quickly:

  1. The boy will never ask for help unless Reborn reminds him that he’s there to help.
  2. He will give up if anything seems to take too much effort unless Reborn pushes him to do more.
  3. He doesn’t understand praise and becomes an even worse mess whenever a kind word is spoken to him.
  4. He’s very observant and a quirk learner if someone takes the time to accommodate for him.
  5. He can cook, clean, sew, and—most concerning of all—_dress wounds_ all on his own.

* * *

“My stitches were pulled,” Tsuna explains when he comes home with branches in his hair, bruises on his arms, and blood pouring from his leg. He sits in the bathroom with a first aid kit from under the sink, already cleaning the blood.

“What? What stitches?” According to his files, the last hospital visit had been when Tsuna was four and wrought with fever. There was never any visit where he got stitches. Reborn frowns.

“They’re from a while ago. Almost healed, but I got caught today.”

“Who did the stitches?”

“Hibari-senpai was there when it happened, so he called his family doctor. I think I remember how she did it. She was talking me through the process when she was…” Tsuna’s words turn to mumbling as he searches the first aid kit. Reborn’s blood turns to ice.

He has been mafia so long he doesn’t remember what being civilian is like, but even a mafia child wasn’t expected to do their own _stitches_.

“Tsunayoshi,” Reborn says steadily. “Let me do that.”

Tsuna looks up at him and his expression is so lost. “Why?”

* * *

Sawada Nana was not a bad person. She was cheerful and sweet and she liked children and cooking and she was a good person. It’s just that she wasn’t a good mother.

Tsuna learned very, very quickly how to take care of himself.

* * *

Tsuna has to adjust his behavior accordingly to Reborn’s presence in his life:

  1. Reborn is always home, so he doesn’t have to be prepared for a night alone at any time.
  2. He doesn’t have to be prepared to cook his own dinner at any time either.
  3. Neither does he have to clean or mend his own clothes when the bullies manage to catch up to him.
  4. He can’t take too long coming home, or else Reborn will get upset and maybe even worried.
  5. He has to actually apply himself to his homework now that someone cares enough about helping him.

(“You can do better than this, Tsunayoshi,” Reborn said the first time Tsuna came home with a single-digit grade.

Tsuna felt something like hope and shock and warmth spread in his chest and he asked in a small voice, “I can?”

He resolved to make himself work harder after that, if only for the first person who ever told him that he could be better)

Tsuna kind of likes this new arrangement.

* * *

One day, one of the kids pushes Tsuna down a flight of stairs. It’s on this day that Reborn was supposed to be picking him up, but Tsuna is late to meet with him at the front of the school because he got too busy running from the bullies after another failed test and one of them catches him at the top of a flight of stairs and Tsuna

_falls_.

And then he’s caught in a pair of strong, steady arms and his back is to a sturdy chest. The crisp clothing identifies Reborn before Tsuna has a chance to look up at his face. When he does, he sees a dark expression like nothing he’s seen before on Reborn’s face.

Reborn doesn’t say anything. He helps Tsuna upright, brushing off nonexistent dust from his uniform, then looks to the no-longer-laughing boys at the top of the stairs. His hand is a grounding force on Tsuna’s shoulder as he says, “Tsunayoshi, I thought you said you had this handled.” He doesn’t look away from the boys. Tsuna can’t see the emotion in his eyes from where he’s standing, but it must be something to keep the group locked and frozen in place.

“I do have it handled,” Tsuna says.

“You could have died just now. At the very least, you would have gotten one hell of a concussion. That is not what I call ‘handled,’ Tsunayoshi. This is a large flight of stairs, and I don’t care if children won’t realize the consequences—this is a bullying that _cannot_ be tolerated.”

“Reborn-san, I’m fine.” He tugs on Reborn’s suit jacket. After a split second, Reborn looks down at him, and the boys flee.

“You are not fine. You kept me from talking to the administration before, but I will not sit here and do nothing now that I know what danger you’re in.”

Tsuna shrugs, uncertain of how to proceed with this. “We’re just… kids. It’s really nothing to be concerned about. I’m good at dealing with things.”

There’s something inexplicably sad that crosses his face at that moment. “You shouldn’t have to. You’re a civilian child.”

“And you’re mafia.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to let you endure things alone. I’m your guardian now, Tsunayoshi—let me do what I’m meant to.”

* * *

Tsuna is made to sit outside while Reborn talks to the principal.

He doesn’t know what happens, but Reborn exits with a satisfied look on his face.

A glance through the door just before it closes shows the principal with an ashen, terrified look on his face.

He’ll only find out the next day that he’s been transferred into a new class.

He doesn’t see those boys again for a long time.

* * *

“I…” Tsuna says, and then stops. Looks down and struggles to find the words.

“You…?” Reborn says, gently ushering.

Tsuna kicks his feet, frustrated at his inability to articulate. “…Thank you,” he says at last.

Reborn ruffles his hair, a bit roughly but not enough to really hurt. “Don’t thank me, brat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Considering how often I say "this isn't written in my usual style" whenever I write fics like this, I should probably just accept that I have multiple writing styles. Or that I need to stop telling myself I need to write a minimum of 4k for every chapter. *sigh*
> 
> If you haven't noticed, this fic will be jumping around a lot with the timeline, but it will be mostly linear with a few flashbacks here and there as they become relevant.  
Also, I'm still trying to figure out how I'd like to format this fic, so I apologize in advance if the formatting seems to change every chapter!


	2. old protector, new protector

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hibari Kyouya doesn't need to take care of Tsuna anymore (but he wants to)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You want some fluff? Here's some fluff. Enjoy!

“Is Hibari-senpai here?” Tsuna asks. The butler, tall and imposing as everything about the Hibaris is, looks down at him as though unsurprised by his appearance, which is odd, because no one goes to the Hibari estate unless they need to.

People rarely need to.

“I’m afraid not, Sawada-kun,” says the butler. Tsuna hadn’t given his name. “Was there something you needed?”

“Oh. No. But can you give him this?” He holds out the bentou box he prepared earlier that morning. “I wanted to thank him. I’m okay now, so he doesn’t have to look after me.”

This time, the butler’s eyebrows raise, but he takes the box. “I will give this to him when he returns. Is that all you would like me to tell him?”

“Yup. Thank you, Butler-san.”

* * *

Hibari Kyouya saves Tsuna from bullies for the first time when he is six years old and his classmates have realized that Tsuna is a bit slower than them, with features a bit more foreign and without any of the easy social understanding that all the other children seem to have.

He saves him again a few months later.

And again, on the streets.

During lunch.

After school.

In between classes.

Not in the same way every time. Tsuna gets hurt and cries and is locked in closets and empty classrooms and Hibari is not always there, but he comes, sometimes. Eventually. With a doctor or with a heavy but gentle hand.

Tsuna does not have many hopes, but Hibari is one of them.

* * *

Hibari Kyouya saves Tsuna for the first time ever when he is six years old and his father has almost killed him trying to protect him.

They never talk about it. Hibari pretends it never happened. Tsuna won’t tell him that his “thanks” is for saving him then, too.

* * *

On a Sunday morning, Tsuna comes downstairs to find his godfather and Hibari sitting at the dining table having a staring contest. He blinks a few times, rubs his eyes, finds that he is not hallucinating, and then announces, “I’m going grocery shopping.”

He escapes through the kitchen window with Reborn’s wallet before he can get a response.

(The kitchen window bit isn’t necessary, but it amuses Reborn, and Tsuna likes having fond smiles sent his way)

It occurs to him five minutes later that he’s still in his lion-decorated pajamas. He’s already outside though and the atmosphere between Reborn and Hibari doesn’t make him very inclined to return to the house for the next hour or two.

He frowns down at his pajamas, debating, and then decides this is hardly the worst thing Namimori has seen him walking around in.

The feather incident was weirder.

* * *

“We’ll finish this later,” Reborn says, putting his staring contest with the Hibari heir on hold in favor of going after Tsuna. The boy does nothing but hum and make no move to actually leave the house. In fact, he’s already made himself at home, but Reborn doesn’t have time to kick him out when Tsuna has left the house in his pajamas with no shoes and Reborn’s wallet.

Knowing him, he wasn’t lying when he said he would be going grocery shopping, so it takes very little time to track the kid down.

“Tsunayoshi,” Reborn says, making sure Tsuna hears his approach before speaking and resting a hand on his head. Tsuna doesn’t flinch, though his shoulders tense, and Reborn likes to think that’s an improvement from their first few weeks together. “You can’t just run off like that. You’ll hurt yourself.” He holds out the shoes he picked up on his way out.

Tsuna nods, taking the shoes and slipping them on. “Sorry. What was Hibari-senpai doing in the house?”

“He wanted to talk to you about the bentou you left him.”

“Oh. Did he like it?”

“I didn’t ask.” The answer is yes, but he’ll let Hibari say it himself. “More importantly, you don’t have to go grocery shopping on your own. Since we’re already here, we’ll shop together.”

“Okay.” There’s that look again—a bit confused, tentatively happy, and forcefully wary.

Reborn doesn’t comment on it.

* * *

It wasn’t that Nana never fed Tsuna. She did the grocery shopping and the cooking half the time, but then Iemitsu’s updates and calls dwindled, and Nana started losing faith in her son, and sometimes she was tired from keeping up her smile all the time, and there were days and nights when she couldn’t stand the house anymore, and—

Tsuna didn’t always have to take care of himself, but when his mother couldn’t bring herself to look after him, he made sure she didn’t have to.

* * *

A mother dies, and her son’s life changes little.

(until his godfather arrives)

* * *

Hibari is still in the living room when Tsuna and Reborn return home. He’s made a blanket fort in front of the TV and is watching an old anime from inside the confines of his newly made nest. Tsuna stares as Reborn shrugs it off with nothing more than a quiet sigh.

“Um, Hibari-senpai?” Tsuna says, peering around the blanket fort but not stepping to obscure Hibari’s line of sight. Hibari nods to him. “What are you doing?”

“I got bored waiting for you and the Carnivore to return,” Hibari says.

“Why didn’t you leave?”

“I will not leave until I have finished my business.”

“Oh.” Tsuna waits for him to explain, or go about his business, or whatever it is that he’s there for, but Hibari only turns his head back to the TV. “Um. Hibari-senpai?”

“What is it, Little Animal?”

“Are you… going to finish what you’re here for?”

“After this episode.” Hibari gives him a considering look. The next moment, Tsuna is sprawled next to him in the blanket fort, Hibari’s arm on his wrist. Tsuna tugs experimentally. Hibari does not let go.

He concedes to watching the anime.

(Reborn watches the two of them from the doorway.

He nods approvingly when Hibari catches his eye)

* * *

The episode ends and another starts and then Reborn is serving a big lunch because Tsuna forgot to eat breakfast before he left and Hibari gets his own serving but eats in the blanket fort because eating at the table with the other two is crowding.

Or something.

Tsuna doesn’t understand Hibari much, but he accepts the explanation anyway and doesn’t push.

It’s not until after lunch and another episode of the anime that Tsuna remembers to ask Hibari what he wanted.

“Hibari-senpai, are you going to finish your business yet?” he asks while the end credits for the latest episode roll.

“Yes.” Hibari turns off the TV and shifts to face him. “Little Animal.” Tsuna sits up at attention. “The bentou you gave me was okay. Did your caretaker make it?”

Tsuna tilts his head to the side. “No. I made it.”

Hibari hums thoughtfully. He nods to himself. “I see. That’s very good. I would like you to make my lunch tomorrow and bring it to the disciplinary room.”

“Sure!”

Hibari leans forward and pats his head. “You will make a good husband in the future.”

“Cool.” A few seconds’ pause, and—“_What_?”

* * *

“Congratulations on your Cloud, Tsunayoshi. Though I won’t approve of your marriage yet.”

“What do you mean ‘Cloud’, Reborn-san?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“…”

“…”

“Oh! You mean the warm purple thing?”

“Excuse me?”


	3. colds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing is ever "just" an accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaa I wanted to get at least one more thing finished before the end of the year. I've actually had this chapter written for a while now, but I had to get the next chapter finished before I could upload.
> 
> Enjoy xoxo and happy new year!!

Tsuna finds out about the Flames when he’s four. He propels himself away from the scary dog with them. Nana doesn’t notice his disappearance.

In the crash—

_ <strike>(it’s not an accident)</strike> _

that kills her six years later, Tsuna is also hit.

* * *

“Tsunayoshi-kun,” murmurs a soft voice. He immediately identifies them as not-Nana. “Oh, Tsunayoshi-kun.” Fingers run gently through his hair.

He opens his eyes and registers the soreness that stretches over his enter body. Then he looks up and Hibari Asuka looks back down at him sadly.

“A-Asuka-sama!” he squeaks, rapidly sitting up. “I’m sorry! I’m so—!” He stops. “Why… am I here?” He looks around, eyebrows furrowed. It looks like he’s in the Hibari Estate. _No one_ goes into the Hibari Estate without an invitation. There are horror stories.

“Tsunayoshi-kun,” Asuka says gently. “There was an accident. Do you remember?”

* * *

“Hitman Reborn-san,” says Hibari Asuka, a deadly calm smile on her face. Her husband sits beside her silently. He is not the boss in this room. “How is my brother?”

“Well,” Reborn answers. He hasn’t seen Fon in years. “I’m sure you know why I’m here.”

“Sawada Nana has died. By your presence, I assume that means Sawada Iemitsu is too much of a coward to return home.”

(_“I can’t take care of him. He’s a civilian! Please, Reborn, just take care of my son for a little while! Only until he’s old enough to take care of himself! Don’t you need to lay low for a bit anyway?”_)

“You would be correct.”

“I heard you taught the Cavallone heir.”

“I did.”

Asuka’s eyes pierced into him. “Raising a civilian child is different from raising a mafia boss. Especially a civilian child as targeted and broken as Tsunayoshi-kun.”

“I’m aware of that, but it’s either me or leaving a ten-year-old boy alone and vulnerable.” Reborn’s fingers itch. It wasn’t the first time he had wanted to shoot Iemitsu through the head, but it was the first time he considered going through with it.

“He would not be alone,” Asuka says. She folds her hands in her lap. “Reborn-san, did you know that in the years that Sawada has not visited, we have intercepted no less than fifteen assassination attempts? Us, the Hibari Clan. Not any of Sawada’s protection detail. _Us_.” It’s not surprising, but it does make Reborn’s anger flare up again. Asuka nods. “Indeed. That’s not including the years beforehand.

“You see, Reborn-san,” she continues, “had you not come within the next few weeks, we would have taken Tsunayoshi-kun in ourselves. We have done a far better job taking care of him than his parents, and he doesn’t even know who we are. We do not care who you are—if you do not take proper care of him, we will be taking him.”

Tsunayoshi is the discarded heir and Iemitsu cares more for Famiglia than family. No one would even notice him gone before it was too late.

It wouldn’t be a bad arrangement, if Reborn hadn’t already resolved himself to taking care of the boy.

“I never leave a job unfinished,” Reborn says.

“He is not your _job_,” Kazuki speaks for the first time, his Sun Flames burning behind his eyes. “He is a _child_ and you will be aware of that.”

Reborn nods, approving. “Of course.”

* * *

_an itchy feeling all day, feeling terrified when they stepped out for some shopping that day, the **terror** followed by a scream_

“Your mother is dead, Tsunayoshi-kun,” Asuka says.

“Oh.”

Tsuna is numb.

* * *

“What do you know about Flames?” Reborn asks.

“The fire is what saved me,” Tsuna answers.

He has been _cold_ ever since that day when his father came home with a guest and he fell from the tree.

On that one day, though. That Day.

He was _warm_.

* * *

“You asked me if I was from the mafia when we met,” Reborn begins, watching Tsuna carefully. “What do you know about the mafia, exactly?”

Tsuna shrugs. “Crime. Papa’s really important and his boss is scary. And the colorful fire, but I wasn’t sure about the fire ‘cause I know Kyouko-chan’s brother is like, always glowing and I think I saw Yamamoto-kun’s dad using the fire once when he thought no one was looking.”

Yamamoto Tsuyoshi was once a good assassin. Reborn would need to talk to him about why he was using Flames in public when he’s supposed to be retired.

“Flames are something everyone has but very few people can unlock,” Reborn explains. “The ones who do unlock their Flames are always taken into the mafia. People like you, Tsuna, are especially rare. I expect that’s why those idiots wanted to Seal you. That doesn’t mean they made the right choice.”

“People like me?” Tsuna echoes, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Reborn taps his chest. “Sky. The rarest type of Flame there is. Natural-born leaders with the ability to bring all the other Elements together. You’re a rare prize and you must have been Active when you were younger. Mafia groups—called Families—would have wanted to kidnap and use you.”

“Oh,” Tsuna says. “Well, isn’t it a good thing I was Sealed then?” There’s no understanding on his face.

“No. While you may have been hidden from the mafia, Sky Flames are different from the other types. They…” Reborn pauses. Tsuna is still a child with limited vocabulary. It won’t be easy trying to explain this complicated mess to him. “It’s like they took away a part of your life force. For the other Elements, Flames are like an extra limb that isn’t exactly needed, but it makes their users stronger and would be uncomfortable to lose. For Skies, they _are_ their Flames. If that’s taken away, it’s like they took away an essential part of you.”

He doesn’t say that it’s a miracle that he’s even alive. That’s not a weight a child should have to carry.

“Oh,” Tsuna repeats, quieter. Fearful.

* * *

“Tsunayoshi-kun,” murmured a different soft voice, four years earlier. Tsuna opened his eyes and he was not home. He was on an unfamiliar couch in an unfamiliar home and he felt safer than he had since his father came back all those years ago. He was also inexplicably cold.

“Tsunayoshi-kun,” the voice repeated and Tsuna squeaked. He didn’t know the sharp-eyed, oddly kindly man kneeling beside him, but he recognized him. He was someone he never thought he would have to speak to.

“Y-you’re—!” He sat up quickly, intending to bow, only to quickly get dizzy.

“No, Tsunayoshi-kun, lay back down. You’ve had a difficult twenty-four hours.” The man helped him lie back down on the couch. Tsuna blinked up at him.

“Wh-why am I here, Hibari-sama?”

“Please call me Kazuki. Kyouya found you with a fever and brought you home to be treated.”

“Found me?” He remembered falling, and catching himself, and being scared when the old man approached him. “Papa’s boss… d-did something…”

“How are you feeling, Tsunayoshi-kun?” Kazuki asked.

“I’m cold.”

Kazuki’s eyes went dark. Tsuna went stiff and the look dissipated.

“I was afraid of that,” he sighed. “I did the best I could. At least you’re alive.”

Tsuna won’t know what that means for a long time.

(When he returned home that day, Nana only thought he had gone to a friend’s house.)

* * *

No Sky should ever know the feeling of being cold.


	4. good days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reborn likes kids. He likes this kid just a little more than most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's fluff AND angst this time! But mostly fluff. Enjoy!

Choosing Reborn as Tsuna’s godfather was a drunken whim, but it was done and nothing could change it.

It’s a little funny how no one knows that Reborn likes children.

(He won’t let them know. Especially not now.)

* * *

“You’re a hitman right?” Tsuna says with all the assurance of a child who doesn’t know that the man in front of him is not just _any_ hitman. Hibari, who’s taken to climbing through their windows without warning, narrows his eyes at him over Tsuna’s shoulder. He doesn’t stop running his hands through his hair. He’s not sure Tsuna notices anymore.

“Yes,” Reborn says. He taps a problem on his homework. “You forgot to carry the three.”

Tsuna makes the correction. “Is it okay for you to be here? Don’t you have work?”

Reborn hums thoughtfully. Thinks of—

_—coffee for the kick instead of the taste, sleepless nights, dripping blood, bullet after bullet after—_

and smiles. “No.”

* * *

Reborn wakes long before the sun rises. He drags Tsuna out of bed, leaving him groaning on the floor for five minutes before he starts getting ready. They go for their morning jog, Tsuna complaining all the while but finishing even though it takes an hour. Reborn makes breakfast as he recuperates on the couch. Hibari shows up as they’re eating and steals half of Tsuna’s food.

“I’m off!” Tsuna says by the doorway, holding Hibari by the sleeve before he can leave without him.

Reborn holds up his cup of coffee in acknowledgement. “See you later,” he says. Tsuna smiles like it’s still a surprise. That’s when Hibari gets impatient and starts tugging him in the direction of the school. Reborn sips his coffee.

It’s a nice morning.

* * *

Asuka keeps trying to convince him to become Namimori Middle School’s principal, after firing the last one for gross incompetence.

“I’m the World’s Greatest Hitman,” Reborn says slowly. “I’m capable of many things, but I’m not looking after a bunch of children when my kid doesn’t even go there yet.”

“Oh, you admit that he’s your kid?” Asuka says, amusement plain in her voice.

“I’m not becoming principal.”

“You could help make it a better place for when Tsunayoshi-kun does need to attend.”

“Just pay me for the work I’m doing now.”

They come to an agreement, eventually. Reborn agrees to become _acting_ principal for one month until Asuka finds a new one, and he expects to be paid double during that month.

Making sure Tsuna is safe is always a good motivation.

* * *

“And how’s my little Tuna-fish?” Iemitsu coos through the phone. If Reborn didn’t have impeccable control over his body, he would have twitched.

_Why don’t you ask him yourself?_ he doesn’t say, gazing out the window to where Hibari is guiding Tsuna through self-defense stances. It’s less teaching and more forcing him to learn how to block effectively through aggressive action, but Tsuna is hardly getting bruised and his tears are largely fake, happiness shining through his exaggerated pain.

He’s getting better.

“Fine,” Reborn says shortly, and hangs up before he can deal with more of Iemitsu’s babbling. He shuts his phone off after it rings twice. He unplugs the house phone too when it starts going off instead. Then he heads outside to “help” Tsuna’s lessons.

“_Reborn, no_!” Tsuna wails.

* * *

Tsuna shudders when Reborn touches him, no matter how fleeting. At first, he wrongly assumed it was because he didn’t like being touched, or was afraid of it. Considering his past with bullying, it’s not a wrong assumption. He takes care not to touch him unexpectedly.

Hibari turns out to be a tactile person, so Reborn warns him, “Tsunayoshi doesn’t like to be touched.” It’s frustrating when the twelve year old looks at him like he’s an idiot.

“Look again,” Hibari says, and then Tsuna comes back with drinks and the conversation ends.

Reborn looks again.

He has never been a very touchy person. It’s hard to trust anyone’s touch in the mafia, especially unaffiliated as he is, but he doesn’t completely shy away. When he looks again, it’s different for Tsuna. He’s _touch-starved_, and so much so that any non-malicious touch makes him startle and it’s only Hibari’s perseverance that he’s gotten used to him.

He thinks of the late Sawada Nana. Iemitsu is useless, and his wife was neglectful. A match made in heaven.

_What kind of mother do you have to be that your _ten year old child_ doesn’t know how to respond to affection?_

Reborn goes back to ruffling Tsuna’s hair and hugging him close and holding his hand when they go shopping. Tsuna jumps, the first few times, but he doesn’t pull away.

He wakes one night to the soft patter of footsteps outside his door. He’s on edge for only a second, but he recognizes Tsuna’s footsteps now.

He opens the door. Tsuna freezes, wide-eyed in his orange pajamas. “Uh, s-sorry, I’m, uh—” He looks down, shrinking in on himself and fiddling with his fingers.

“Nightmare?” Reborn says. He knows about nightmares. Tsuna doesn’t answer. “Come in. You need to get a full eight hours before school.” He opens his door wider, letting him make the choice. After a few moments of hesitation, Tsuna steps inside. Reborn stifles a chuckle.

“’M too old to do stuff like this,” Tsuna mutters.

“You’re ten, brat. You’re allowed any comfort you want.” An allowance that many mafia children are unaware of. Tsuna should have never been one of them. He ruffles his hair and climbs back into bed. Tsuna joins him, keeping a steady distance at first. He curls up. He would seem content, if Reborn didn’t know any better. And he did know better.

In an exaggerated motion, Reborn throws an arm around him and pulls him close. Tsuna squirms. “Reborn!” he whines. “You’re crushing me!”

“Oh no, I’m fast asleep. How terrible.” Reborn fakes a loud snore as Tsuna half-heartedly struggles to get out of his grip. He can’t help the grin on his face as tiny fists hit his chest angrily. Minutes later, they’re both asleep, and he doesn’t realize until he wakes in the morning.

* * *

Unfortunately, it’s a Big Deal when Hibari moves up to middle school. Tsuna is a nervous wreck about it without his only friend, while Hibari makes quick work of the leftover delinquents and takes over the school. At thirteen years old, he gains the title of “hellion”—a level-up from the “precocious brat” the civilians thought him to be.

If he weren’t still proclaiming Tsuna as his future partner, Reborn would have taken him in.

“I’m not like Kyouya’s new friends. What if he forgets about me?” Tsuna worries. Hibari is in their living room, watching some gundam anime and scribbling in a notebook.

“He’s not so flighty that he would stop teaching you now, much less throw away your friendship,” Reborn says, instead of _You’re going to have to pry his cold, dead body away if you ever want him gone._ “You should try to make friends though. You have never been dame, Tsunayoshi, and anyone else who can see that deserves your friendship.”

“I don’t know…”

“Tsunayoshi. Try to make friends. Do you want to rely on Hibari forever?”

Appealing to his sense of independence always does the trick.

Two weeks later, the son of a former-assassin-turned-sushi-chef walks through their front door with an arm around Tsuna’s neck, laughing about how he saved his life and they’re totally best friends now. Tsuna’s wrist is sprained. Hibari takes the new addition as a challenge and attacks.

Reborn rubs his temples.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the next chapter, I'm not really sure where I want to proceed, but I'll figure it out. I should probably work on water vapor in the meantime, though...


	5. friendship, maybe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hibari graduates and Tsuna needs friends. Unfortunately, Yamamoto keeps staring at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think I have a pretty good idea of where I want this fic to go, but first I need to figure out the general timeline of events pre-canon KHR so that I know how this fic's timeline will work, and if I'll even be able to fit in all the Guardians. (Probably not tbh but gdi I love giving Tsuna friends)  
Basically, even though I know where I'm going, I probably won't start updating frequently. I just wanted to let you all know where I was at with this fic. Sorry about that ^^;
> 
> Enjoy!

Kyouya nearly drags Tsuna with him on stage during elementary school graduation, and it’s only because Reborn and his parents veto the attempt that he doesn’t manage it. It’s during the ceremony that Tsuna thinks he would have rather Kyouya _did_ drag him on stage, because he probably wouldn’t be on the verge of tears if he was sitting with him instead of watching. Reborn notices as he always does and curls a hand around his head, letting him hide his face in his side.

There’s a commotion on stage that has him looking up again, after trying to discretely wipe the tears away. Kyouya is being held back by two teachers. Tsuna furrows his eyebrows. On his other side, Asuka is chuckling while Kazuki is muttering under his breath and rubbing his forehead. Reborn _radiates_ amusement.

“What’s happening?” he whispers. Kyouya must see something—he’s looking in their direction, and Tsuna looks around but can’t find what he’s looking at—because he _actually_ bites a teacher and two more need to restrain him. The principal is visibly sweating as he tries to continue his speech.

Reborn shakes his head. “Tsunayoshi, smile and do this at Hibari.” He makes a small shooing motion with his hand. Tsuna doesn’t understand, but looks at Kyouya and copies him anyway.

Immediately, he stops struggling. With a nod, Kyouya lets himself be sat back down.

“What was that?” Tsuna asks, bewildered. Reborn pats his head.

* * *

Kyouya graduates.

* * *

Tsuna forgot how terrifying school is without him. He still walks him to and from school, but then they part ways. He still goes to the roof for lunch—the one time a teacher tries to tell him that it’s forbidden, another teacher pulls him aside and whispers something, and it never happens again—but even though lunch has always been quiet between them, it feels absolutely _silent_. Classes are somehow dull and more muddled than ever.

“Reborn, I don’t like school,” he says. _Without Kyouya_, he doesn’t add, but Reborn looks at him like he knows anyway.

“If you want to go to middle school, you have to get your grades up,” he says. Then he tugs on a jacket and they leave the house, because without saying anything, Reborn knows.

* * *

Kyouya is presenting the tall, intimidating delinquents with weird haircuts to him like a pleased cat. Tsuna blinks, gripping the bottom of his shirt, and huddles further behind his back. It only helps a little that the teenagers look to be equally at a loss.

“This is the little animal,” Kyouya says. “Little Animal, these are my subordinates. They will protect you when I can’t.”

“Hie?” Tsuna squeaks as one of the teens leans closer to him with narrowed eyes. Kyouya extends an arm, tonfa in hand, and the teen backs off.

“Boss,” says one of the other delinquents, “uh, who exactly is this?”

“Little Animal.”

“I-I’m, um, Tsuna.” He waves hesitantly, unwilling to move from behind Kyouya’s arm. “We’re friends.”

“Partners,” Kyouya corrects. Tsuna’s face burns. He lets go of his shirt to instead hide his face, absolutely certain that his face is bright red. Someone makes a choked noise, but he doesn’t look up to see who it was. He feels Kyouya’s arm wrap around his shoulders.

“Protect him as you would the school,” he orders while Tsuna is still recovering. “Dismissed.” Tsuna is led away, not at all comprehending what has just happened.

Later, he asks, “Kyouya, how did you meet all those people?”

“They were undisciplined, so I bit them all to death.”

It’s such a Kyouya thing to say that he can’t help bursting into laughter.

* * *

But the novelty wears off.

“I’m not like Kyouya’s new friends. What if he forgets me?” he frets, uselessly he knows and yet. Reborn is still chipping away at the Seal and teaching him self-defense, so there’s no _need_ for him to worry, but Tsuna remembers all too well—

(_It used to be so quiet in the house. His mother was too disappointed in him, always, and there was never anyone who liked him to the point of wanting to _protect_ him._

_ <strike>He always had to protect himself, and wash the blood himself, and find hiding places himself. He was always by himself.</strike> _

_He doesn’t want to lose this. He doesn’t want to go back._)

Reborn sighs. “He’s not so flighty that he would stop teaching you now, much less throw away your friendship.” After a pause, he adds, “You should try to make friends, though. You have never been dame, Tsunayoshi, and anyone else who can see that deserves your friendship.”

Tsuna doesn’t know how to make friends, but then Reborn asks if he always wants to rely on Kyouya, and he promises to make a new friend before he even realizes what he’s doing.

<strike>With his Dying Will.</strike>

* * *

Kyouko would be a good friend, Tsuna thinks, but Hana is too scary. And she still calls him dame and Reborn says that he should never accept anyone who calls him that.

(_“I have such a useless son.”_)

Yamamoto doesn’t call him dame, not anymore after Kyouya started going after those who still did, but he’s scary too. In a different way. He’s so friendly, always laughing, always smiling, and Tsuna can’t understand. Someone who smiles so much when they feel so little is too unnerving. He can’t stand to even be close to him.

He’s almost like Reborn was, the first few days. He was kind, but there was nothing behind his eyes until the day Tsuna came home injured.

* * *

Once, after Yamamoto’s mother had just died in a home invasion, Tsuna saw Yamamoto. He had skipped school that day, for good reason, though none of the other kids seemed to have understood. Tsuna was hiding from bullies when he saw him, sitting on the ground outside his family’s sushi shop with his knees to his chest. The look on his face was so dark and frightening that he ran the other way.

He left a flower on Yamamoto’s desk when he came back to school, hoping it would make him a little happier. But it was trashed the next time he saw it.

* * *

He’s being watched.

That’s not so odd. Bullies have always watched him, and after, he sometimes had the passing thought that Reborn bugged the school, or even the whole town, in order to keep an eye on him. Kyouya’s friends—_subordinates_, he and Reborn call them, but Tsuna likes to think they’re friends—are usually watching him too. But the eyes on him are coming from Yamamoto’s direction, sitting behind him in the classroom, and he’s not sure what he did to deserve this.

The feeling doesn’t abate as days pass. Yamamoto doesn’t even bother trying to hide, that cool, assessing gaze of his far too out of place. Tsuna doesn’t want to bring it up, not to Yamamoto or Reborn or even Kyouya, because the looks don’t extend past the school grounds and he doesn’t _think_ he means any harm.

He’s anxious, though, and it shows.

* * *

“Hey, Kyouya-san—”

“Kyouya.”

“…Kyouya-kun, what should I do when someone doesn’t stop watching me?”

“Bite them to death.”

“…Hey, Kusakabe-san—"

* * *

“Ya-Yamamoto-kun,” Tsuna stammers, fidgeting in front of that frightening smile. “Why do you, um, keep watching me?”

“I’m not sure I know what you mean,” Yamamoto says cheerfully. Tsuna flinches back. _Too empty, much too empty_.

“I’m not sure what I did, b-but could you please stop? It’s, um, uncomfortable.”

Yamamoto keeps smiling, smiling, smiling, totally comprehending but pretending not to, and Tsuna slinks away before anyone can start getting on him about talking to one of their idols.

* * *

He tries again. Yamamoto still doesn’t give a straight answer.

* * *

Reborn told Tsuna about Hyper Intuition soon after he told him about Flames, which is how Tsuna knows to listen when it starts screaming at him. He sees Yamamoto across the street first—for once, not stalking him, because they’re not in school and Tsuna is on his way home from Kyouya’s. Then he sees the men following him.

Yamamoto’s mom died in a home invasion. Tsuna knew about the mafia before then. Yamamoto’s dad always knew how to hold a knife too well. There’s one reason why Tsuna can think a bunch of shady men would be following Yamamoto.

Unfortunately, Tsuna isn’t mafia, so his grand plan is to run through traffic to Yamamoto, grab his wrist and say, “We have to go.”

Bad idea, because that gets the men’s attention.

Yamamoto blinks down at him. “Sawada?”

“We have to _go_.” Tsuna drags him by the wrists, not quite sure where they’re going so far as they’re _away_.

“They’re getting away!”

“_Go, go, go!_” Tsuna chants as the men start to chase them in earnest. Luckily, Yamamoto goes along with it, even running past him completely and starting to drag Tsuna with him instead of the other way around.

“What do they want with me?” Yamamoto asks fearfully. It’s the first time since they were much younger that Tsuna has heard emotion in his voice. He can’t tell him that he thinks it might be because his father is mafia, or was, once, so he only shakes his head.

The men start shooting at them, but his Intuition is faster and he tackles Yamamoto around the corner as bullets fly past them. They land wrong. Tsuna feels the muscles in his wrist pull and he bites his lip to keep from shouting in pain. Yamamoto scrambles to his feet. “Sawada, are you okay?”

“Fine. Quiet.” He slaps his good hand over Yamamoto’s mouth and ushers him further down the street.

Even if he didn’t have Hyper Intuition, Tsuna would know exactly where to go. He knows every inch of Namimori now, courtesy of Reborn and Kyouya’s not-so-gentle tutelage. He doesn’t want to lead the Mafiosi home when he _knows_ Reborn likes not needing to kill, and he’s not cruel enough to risk patrons at Takesushi just to get help from Yamamoto’s dad. So, his only option is to lead Yamamoto through loops and weird paths all around Namimori while he hurriedly dials Kyouya’s dad.

“Kazuki-san?” he gasps as the line clicks. He looks around the corner, keeping watch for the men. Yamamoto has been silent the whole time.

“Tsunayoshi-kun? This is rare.”

“There are Mafiosi after me and my friend,” he blurts out. “Help. Please.”

Kazuki’s voice turns hard. “Where are you?”

Tsuna rattles off his location just as he spots the Mafiosi rounding the corner again, and they’re running again.

Kazuki’s men show up not a minute later.

* * *

“You saved my life,” Yamamoto says.

“I-I didn’t really do anything,” Tsuna stammers.

Yamamoto shakes his head and grins. “That settles it! We’re best friends now!”

“We’re what,” Tsuna says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's actually not at all where I planned to go with this chapter, but I was unsatisfied with my original ending and then I figured this is my fic and I can do what I want and if Tsuna can figure out his dad is mafia, he can figure some other things out too.
> 
> Next chapter is going to be a quick interlude while I figure out where to go from here, so I'll see you then!


	6. interlude: little animal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interlude.
> 
> Kusakabe Tetsuya thinks about his boss and the kid who follows him around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm struggling to figure out the next chapter, so I thought I'd post this now! I think I might try and prioritize this fic over my other WIPs since I know how I want to end it, but there are still some kinks I need to work out so idk how I'm gonna make the transition from where I'm currently at in this fic to where I want it to be.
> 
> This chapter takes place during the last chapter, but before Tsuna starts freaking out about Yamamoto. Enjoy!

Kusakabe Tetsuya thinks of himself as the leader of the delinquents at Namimori Middle School for one week.

Then, Hibari Kyouya happens.

(It might be the best thing to ever happen to him.)

* * *

“This,” the Boss says, placing a hand on top of the younger kid’s fluffy head of hair, “is the Little Animal. You _will_ protect him with your life.”

“Boss?” Tetsuya says questioningly. He’s the only person to meet Hibari’s—_something_, for now, as his appointed right hand man. He thought he knew what the job entailed, two weeks into his new job, but then Hibari summoned him to his office and he found him sitting on the couch with the kid at his side.

“My name is Tsuna,” the kid offers meekly. “Um, you don’t have to protect me.”

“He will,” Hibari says firmly. He glares warningly at Tetsuya and he respects his boss, but he’s also still terrified him.

“Not that I won’t do it,” he tells him frantically, “but, uh, who is he exactly?”

“He’s important.”

“We’re friends,” says Tsuna.

“Nothing is to happen to him when he’s out of my sight, understood?” Hibari adds sharply. “Little Animal is two years younger than us, but if you see him, I expect you to protect him to the best of your ability. I will be giving the rest of the Committee the same orders at a later time.”

Tsuna sighs. Tetsuya looks at him, then at Hibari’s no-nonsense expression. Then he nods. The Boss is the Boss, and the kid _does_ look pretty weak. “Yes, sir!”

* * *

Tetsuya has always been strong. A bit bigger than the other kids, rowdier, and so he fell into the position of leader of the delinquents pretty easily. Hibari is the first to ever beat him and he respects him for that.

So he can’t say he really _understands_ Sawada Tsuna. For all intents and purposes, the younger boy is the most herbivorous person he’s ever seen, and yet Hibari guards him with a jealous possessiveness. Tsuna doesn’t seem entirely aware of it even as he soothes Hibari with his mere presence. If he were anyone else—screeching and running as he so often does—Hibari would have bitten him to death by now.

“Why is Chairman friends with you?” he asks one day, because Hibari isn’t around to bite him to death for his insolence and Tsuna is forgiving and knows his place.

Tsuna looks up in thought. “Uh, I made lunch for him in elementary school?” His face twists in slight uncertainty. “And my guardian is strong, so he likes fighting him.” With that, he nods firmly, as though that actually answers any questions.

* * *

Other members of the Committee—once introduced, a full two months later after Hibari decides they can be trusted—ask Tetsuya the same thing. He doesn’t have an answer.

* * *

Tsuna is scared of them. Clearly. And he doesn’t make any secret of it, or if he does, he’s doing a really bad job at it. But like clockwork, he shows up at the office after his day is over, makes tea for Hibari—“You’re too young for coffee,” he claims when Hibari narrows his eyes at him—and sits on the couch to do his homework. Hibari isn’t always in the office when he shows up, but he doesn’t run away and look for him. He waits, even though he’s a complete mess of nerves surrounded by whichever Committee members are in the room at the time.

(He gets harassed only once, the first time he comes in and Hibari isn’t waiting for him. Tetsuya messages the Boss, and two minutes later, Hibari comes flying in through the door with a vengeance. The guilty parties are bitten to death and kicked out of the Committee—a message to anyone who wants to try again.)

Some of the other members of the Committee are actually fond of Tsuna, even though he shies away from them and only lets Hibari touch him. Tetsuya watches Itou lean over Tsuna’s shoulder at his homework. Tsuna flinches and shifts away, but Itou doesn’t make another move.

“Do you need help?” she asks. Itou is one of the delinquents smart enough to pass her classes, but she skips classes instead.

Tsuna, who’s been visibly struggling with his homework for the past hour, hunches over. “Um, Kyouya-san usually helps me, so I was just going to…” He trails off, his voice growing smaller. Tetsuya wonders, not for the first time, how someone can be this weak.

“He’s not here, though,” Itou points out and sits beside him, far enough away not to make him flinch again. “What are you having trouble with?”

When Hibari returns thirty minutes later, Tetsuya expects a bloodbath. He’s never kicked anyone out of the Committee for being kind to Tsuna before, but he’s easily jealous. But, when Hibari sees Tsuna relaxed and nodding along to Itou’s patient teachings, he’s only tense for a second. Then he nods, rustling Tsuna’s hair as he passes behind the couch, and that’s that.

* * *

Tsuna is asleep with his head in Hibari’s lap. The sun is setting already, so most have already gone home. It’s only Tetsuya, Hibari, and Tsuna; and Tsuna is bruised and exhausted. Tetsuya would have been concerned for the culprits if Hibari hadn’t let him know that they were training.

Apropos of nothing, Hibari says, “Tsunayoshi has almost died multiple times since I’ve known him.”

Tetsuya stands at attention. “Sir?”

“He’s weak,” he continues, looking down at Tsuna’s sleeping face. “Very weak, but he’s not an herbivore. I need him safe until he grows into his strength. Sometimes cubs take a while to become fierce too.” It’s the most Hibari has ever deigned to tell him about their exact relationship. His Boss is a private person and Tsuna seems to be his favorite secret.

“Why… are you telling me this?” Tetsuya asks.

Hibari doesn’t answer.

* * *

One day, Tetsuya happens to see Hibari walking with Tsuna outside of the school. There’s a man trailing a few steps behind him in a neatly pressed suit and a fedora, smirking fondly at the two of them—or maybe just at Tsuna. From the way Hibari hasn’t snapped and tried to attack him for crowding, Tetsuya assumes he knows him.

What sticks out to him, though, is not the man who obviously isn’t native to Namimori. It’s Tsuna’s smile.

In the short amount of time that Tetsuya has known him, Tsuna doesn’t really _smile_. He scolds Hibari sometimes, frightens very easily and often runs screaming, and Tetsuya has seen him relaxed at Hibari’s side when he thinks no one is around, but he’s never seen him smile. This Tsuna, outside of the walls of Namimori Middle School and thus away from the Committee, is smiling. At Hibari.

Tetsuya is too far away to hear what they’re saying, but it looks like Tsuna is doing most of the talking, with interjections that look like teasing from the adult with them. Hibari glares at the man until Tsuna tugs on his sleeve to get him to stop.

He trips a few moments after, like he always does. Hibari catches him before he can fall flat on his face, and he rolls his eyes as Tsuna laughs sheepishly.

Tetsuya has never seen Hibari smile, and he still hasn’t—but he thinks the look on his face might be the closest he’s ever seen to one.

He still doesn’t understand Tsuna’s appeal. The other Committee members like small, frightened creatures, but Tetsuya has never been one of them. Tsuna’s not bad, though.

Anyone who can keep up with Hibari has his respect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super short chapter eheh ^^; I hope Kusakabe's POV was fun though!
> 
> I wanna make it clear that I won't make Hibari be all super possessive "I'm the only one who can have Tsuna's attention" though he and Tsuna are still very much most comfortable with each other. They're partners! They respect each other! Hibari's a bit overprotective sometimes, sure, but not to the point that he'll monopolize him. Asuka and Kazuki are good parents who taught him good things. If you disregard the whole "biting to death and beating up criminals" lessons.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Feel free to [talk to me on tumblr!](http://heavenly-dusk.tumblr.com)


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